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To understand color schemes, you need to have an understanding of color harmony, which is the theory behind the development of color schemes. Similar to music theory, there is a basic understanding that certain colors act together in harmony, while others may create a clashing of tones.
Before examining various color schemes, it is important to review the basics of the color wheel.
The Basics: ROYGBV (Roy-Gee-Biv)
The basic color wheel* includes the following colors, in order:
1. Red,
2. Orange,
3. Yellow,
4. Green,
5. Blue, and
6. Violet.
You can use the wheel to review the concept of primary and secondary colors. By examining the relationships between primary and secondary colors, you can derive tertiary colors and build the foundation to understanding the basics of color schemes.
o Primary: Red, Yellow, and Blue
o Secondary: Orange, Green, and Violet
o Tertiary: Combinations between primary and secondary colors (i.e. Red-Orange, Orange-Yellow, Yellow-Green, Blue-Violet etc.)
Color Schemes 101
Monotone (Neutral)
Monotone color schemes use a single color, or a very limited range in neutral colors. Most commonly, you will see the use of grays, tans, or tinted whites. Although neutral themes are often considered safe, a monotone scheme can actually be risky and seemingly forced. As a result, designers will often leverage a stronger color in accent elements to add variety, without disrupting the overall scheme.
Monochromatic
A monochromatic color scheme is created when you use a range of shades in a single hue. Although you may want to create a red dining room for the dramatic effect, rooms with a single strong color have similar risks to monotone color schemes. You can avoid that risk by not using too much of a strong hue throughout the room and by ensuring you use a wide variety of hues to balance the overall effect.
Analogous
Analogous color schemes create harmony by leveraging colors that are closest together on the color wheel. For example, you can create an analogous theme by using red with its neighbors red-orange and orange-red. In looking at the color wheel, you can consider any combination within a 90-degree angle.
Because of the close proximity of colors, you rarely risk clashing of colors when using an analogous theme.
Complimentary
Think of the complimentary color scheme as a theme using contrasting hues from the opposite sides of the color wheel. For instance, red and green are contrasting colors that have a strong psychological impact and are well liked.
Granted, you may be thinking that such a combination for your home may appear brash, and it may be without proper execution. So, it is important to keep in mind that you can select more subtle hues and really any color combination, as long as they face each other in the color wheel when you create a complimentary theme.
More Complex Color Schemes
More complex color schemes, such as triad or tetrad themes are more difficult schemes to master. In concept, these schemes are variations of the complimentary color scheme, but instead of choosing two colors from opposing sides of the color wheel, you would select three or four, respectively, that are equidistant on the color wheel. Examples are rare, but when designers use either of these themes, you might see the concept applied in areas that are otherwise mostly neutral.
* Example color wheel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RYB_color_circle_1904.png.
About this Author
Amy L. Milligan founded bluedango based upon the principle that our surroundings greatly impact us and reflect to others who we are. With an educational background in the behavioral sciences and environmental design, she combined her academic experience with 11 years of experience in consulting and executive management to create bluedango.com as an extension of that principle. Amy invites you to visit bluedango.com to find unique home accents designed by international artisans and produced according to fair trade standards. You can shop bluedango's bookstore for more interior decorating ideas.
(c) Copyright 2010 - Amy L. Milligan, bluedango. This article may be freely published. Permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the byline is included with a live link and the article is not changed in any way (grammatical corrections accepted).
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